Bruises
by Lillyflower01
Summary: WARNING: abuse and mentions of depression. Dan's determined to protect Phil from his abusive boyfriend. (I own nothing but my ideas and characters)
1. Chapter 1

A bruise: an injury appearing as a small patch of discolored skin, caused by a blow to the body. They were also slowly appearing on Phil's paper white skin.

It all started about a month ago, when Phil burst into my bedroom with tears threatening to spill out of his eyes. He had curled up on my bed, resting his head on my shoulder and staring up at me with giant, teary eyes.

I had brought my hand up to his cheek to wipe away the forming tears, freezing when he visibly flinched.

"What's wrong?" I'd muttered, slowly lifting my arms to wrap around his shaking form.

Phil lifted his head from my shoulder, finally allowing me a clear look at his face. I sucked my lower lip in between my teeth as I spotted the large red hand shaped spot Phil's cheek was sporting. My eyes immediately widened and I slowly lifted my hand once again to slowly brush my fingers over his cheek, just above the red spot.

"He did this to you, didn't he?" I growled.

Phil's eyes fluttered closed, his lips pursed.

"Where is he?" I snarled.

"Outside," he murmured.

I stumbled to my feet, making a move to leave but Phil grabbed my hand, tugging me back.

"Please don't hurt him," he begged. "He didn't mean to!"

"He hurt you," I whimpered.

"He didn't mean to," he repeated. "Please, just sit with me."

I agreed. But I shouldn't have. I should have just stormed out and let that bastard know that hurting Phil was out of the question. I should have given him a bruise of his own. But I didn't. Instead I sat back down and allowed Phil to sob into my chest. I allowed him to convince me that his _boyfriend_ didn't mean it.

I was an idiot.

Since that time, more bruises and slap marks have appeared on Phil's body. He hides them well, but I see them. (Well, most of them.) But whenever I question him about it, he just assures me that everything is fine and avoids the question. He insists that it's not his boyfriend whose hurting him. He says it's his own clumsiness that causing all the bruises. He tells me that his boyfriend hitting him was a one time thing.

I know he's lying.

I sigh, running a hand through my hair. I have to confront Phil about this sooner or later. I force myself to my feet and trudge towards Phil's room. I can hear him shuffling around behind the door. He's probably searching for some prop for a video.

"Phil?" I cry out, knocking against his door.

I can hear all movement stop. And then there's the quit reply of, "C-Come in."

I slowly push open the bedroom door, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion when my eyes land on the half packed suitcase on his bed.

"Where're you going?" I ask quietly.

I've completely forgotten what I came in here for. All I can focus on is the open suitcase. Phil shuffles his feet awkwardly, refusing to make eye contact with me.

"Dan..." he breaths, his eyes darting guiltily around the room.

"Phil," I reply, quietly. "What's-What's going on?"

"C-Collin asked me to move in with him," he admits after a small pause, his voice sounding small.

I stare at him with wide, terrified eyes. Phil's leaving. He's leaving our flat. He's leaving _me_.

"Oh," is all I can manage, my eyes trained on the floor.

"We'll still see each other," Phil mutters. "We'll still make videos."

I cautiously set forward, slipping my arms around my best friend's slim frame. I bury my face in his shoulder as he returns the gesture.

"When are you leaving?" I ask, my voice more timid than I would like.

"This weekend," he murmurs. "But I'm only bringing a suitcase at first. I'll be back to get the rest of my stuff."

I tighten my grip around him, his flinch not going unnoticed. I quickly pull away and stare at him with concerned eyes.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" I question.

"What do you mean?" he squeaks.

I sigh before slowly undoing the top button on his plaid shirt, revealing a fresh bruise. His eyes flutter closed and he buries his face in my chest, almost as if he's embarrassed.

"Phil he's hurting you enough as it is," I say. "It's only going to get worse-"

"He's not hurting me!"

We stare at each other, Phil's bright eyes almost angry that I would suggest such a thing.

"He loves me..." Phil's blue eyes turn soft again, suddenly becoming large, almost pleading. Begging me to believe him.

"I know," I breath, pulling him back to my chest.

My chest constricts at the words. How am I able to lie to him? Collin doesn't love him. If he did, Phil wouldn't be covered with these disgusting bruises.

"Hey," I smile. "Why don't we have a movie night? We can watch Big Hero 6 and Howl's Moving Castle, and top it off with a full season of Attack on Titan."

"That's a lot of TV," Phil chuckles.

"That's the point, dork," I roll my eyes, a snicker escaping my lips.

"Can we make popcorn?" Phil asks.

"Of course," I nod. "Why wouldn't we make popcorn?"

"Collin says it's too fattening," Phil mumbles.

I sigh and ruffle his hair, causing him to giggle.

"Food's only good if it's fattening," I smirk. "Now c'mon. We have a hell of a lot of time to waste."

"Are you sure you wanna leave?"

I'm standing in the living room, hugging Phil close to my chest. His face is buried in my shoulder with his arms wrapped tightly around me.

My ebony haired friend takes a moment before answering. But then he slowly nods, looking up at me sheepishly through his eyelashes.

"Okay," I mumble as I buried my face in his hair. "I'm gonna miss you. I'm gonna miss you so, so much."

"I know," breaths Phil. "I'm gonna miss you too. But I'll visit constantly! It'll be like I never left!"

I chuckle, running my fingers through his hair.

"Then why are you leaving?" I murmur.

Something flashes in Phil's eyes, but it's gone so fast I'm questioning if it was ever there.

"I love him," he mumbles.

"I know," I sigh. "Just...don't let him hurt you, kay?"

Phil chews anxiously on his lower lip, his eyes fixed on something over my shoulder.

"He's not hurting me," he mumbles.

"And if he ever hurts you, call me," I demand, sending him what I hope is a stern yet friendly stare. "Call me and I'll pick you up and bring you back here." When he doesn't answer, I grab his shoulders and hold him at arms length. "Alright?"

"He's not hurting me!" he repeats.

"Please just promise me," I beg.

A sigh escapes his lips. Slowly, he nods, his lower lip still trapped between his teeth.

"I just want to make sure you're safe," I mutter as I pull him in for another hug.

Our moment is interrupted by a loud knocking. Phil shoots me a small smile before untangling himself from my arms and hurrying towards the door.

"Hi Collin!" Phil chirps.

I hear Collin chuckle, before answering with a: "Hi, Philly."

I feel my blood boil at the nickname. Collin doesn't deserve to call him that. He's _my_ Philly. I tiptoe around the corner just in time to see them sharing a quick kiss.

"Do you have your stuff?" Collin asks, his brown eyes fixed on my best friend's face.

Phil nods, grabbing the suitcase from where it sat next to do the door.

"Bye Dan," he says softly.

I just smile in return, knowing that I'll break down if I say anything. We share another quick hug before he turns back towards his boyfriend. Collin wraps an arm possessively around Phil's waist, directing him towards the cab that waits outside our-my-flat. Phil turns to send me a wave, which I return before closing the door.

As soon as the door closes something snaps inside of me. As if it's only sinking in now that Phil's leaving, that we're no longer flatmates. A sob rises up in my chest and I run my hands through my hair as tears burn my eyes. All I want is for Phil to hold me. For him to hold me and tell me that everything will be alright. That he won't leave that won't happen. Because he has left. And nothing will be alright.

I know he said he would visit. And I don't doubt that for a second. But it won't be the same. He won't be staying here. I can't crawl into his bed after having a nightmare one night. Or stay up watching anime with him until the early hours of the morning. I won't wander into the kitchen to find him munching on my cereal.

A chuckle forced it's way through the tears as I thought about all the stupid arguments we'd had about _cereal_.

I'd say something along the lines of: "Phil stop eating my cereal!"

And he would reply with: "But we live together. It should be both of our cereal!"

And I would make some snarky remark, insulting him. But we'd both know I didn't mean it. We both knew I loved him.

I love him and will do anything for him.

Anything except apparently save him from the monster he's dating.

My lower lip trembles as fresh tears slide down my cheeks. I let him go. I let him leave. I didn't even put up a fight. How am I supposed to protect him now‽ When we lived together I was able to hold him while he cried, even if I wasn't there to protect him when he was hurt. Now what will happen? Will he call me? Probably. But even then I won't be able to hold him.

Another sob escapes my lips and I wrap my arms around myself.

Why am I so damn weak? I should be protecting Phil. Instead I just let it happen.

I suppose it's not completely my fault. I'm never there when he's actually hurt, and whenever I try and talk sense into Phil and tell him to break up with Collin, he doesn't listen. He just keeps going on about how Collin loves him and doesn't mean to hurt him and how it's not even that bad. Bullshit. Absolute bullshit.

I've seen the bruises he carries. Granted, there aren't actually that many of them. But I'm positive that will change now that he's living with Collin.

A whimper emits from my throat as I think about all the horrible things that could happen to Phil. My Phil. My Philly.

I know he's technically not mine. We're not dating, but I feel like I would be a better boyfriend than Collin. I definitely wouldn't beat him.

I won't deny the fact that I have feelings for Phil. Everyone knows I do, even if I don't say so. But it doesn't really matter. He loves Collin. And he won't ever feel the same way.

At first Phil was good about visiting. He was at our-my (Damn, I'm never going to get used to that) flat nearly as often as he was at Collin's flat. But then he slowly started to visit less, and eventually our conversations got more and more scarce.

I'm slowly going insane. I can't live life without Phil. And now that he's gone, I don't know what to do. I leave the house even less than I did when he was here. I hardly ever make videos. I can even feel myself wanting to fall back into my old ways of depression, back before I met Phil. The only thing stopping me is the fact that I know Phil wouldn't want me to.

I can picture the look of pure sadness on his face if he discovers I've fallen back into that pattern.

I'm snapped out of my thoughts by the ringing of a cell phone. I groan as I realize my phone is across the room and I have to actually move to pick it up. Slowly, I drag myself to where my phone is sitting. As soon as I glance at whose calling me my eyes light up. I answer the call as fast as I can, a smile fighting it's way onto my face.

"Phil?"

"D-Dan‽"

My smile immediately disappears when I hear his voice. It's shaky and unsure, as if he's been crying.

"Whats's wrong?" I question.

"Can you come get me?" he asks with a small sniffle. "Please?"

"Of course," I nod, worry creeping into my stomach. "Where are you?"

"In Collin's flat," he murmurs.

I can't help but feel pleased when he doesn't say _'my flat'_.

"Okay, I'll be there in a couple minutes," I tell him.

"O-Okay," he stutters.

I'm about to hang up the call when I suddenly stop. Phil's upset and don't want to leave him by himself. Even if it's just for a few minutes.

"Philly?" I whisper as I shrug on my coat and step outside. "Do you want me to stay on the phone with you until I get there?"

Another sniffle. "Y-Yes please."

"Okay," I murmur. I think about what to say as I flag down a cab. "How's the move going?" I ask the question slowly, as if I'm unsure if it's the right thing to say.

I can hear Phil taking a deep, sharp breath. "F-Fine." There's a short pause. "I miss you though."

"I know," I mutter. "I miss you too."

I hop into the cab and give the driver the address.

"You have to come get the rest of your stuff," I say. "You haven't been over in awhile..." I trail off, a heavy feeling settling on chest as I think about my words. I haven't seen him in so long.

"I know," he sniffles again. "I'm sorry about that."

"It's okay," I reply, quietly.

Suddenly the sound of a door being thrown open meets my ears, the sound being followed by Phil's gasp.

"Who're you talkin' to‽" I flinch when I hear Collin's angry, slightly slurred voice.

"No-No one," stutters Phil.

" _Who_ are you talking to‽" Collin roars, causing Phil to whimper.

"It's j-just a fr-friend!" Phil pleads.

Collin scoffs. "It's Dan, isn't it?"

"N-No!" squeaks Phil.

"I told you to stop talking to him!" Collin yells.

"I-I'm sorry!" the small sob that escapes Phil's lips snaps me out of my horrified trance.

"Phil‽" I cry. " _Phil_ ‽ Phil, are you alright‽"

Out of the quiet sobs, I can hear Phil's pleads, which make my chest constrict painfully.

" _Philly_ is mine." I grind my teeth as I once again hear Collin's intoxicated voice.

"You _little_ -"

I let out a frustrated yell, followed by a couple profanities grumbled under my breath, as I realize Collin's hung up. I grip my hair, nearly yanking it out of my head. What had happened? Is Phil okay? Oh god, of course he's not okay.

I can feel tears burning behind my eyes and I bury my face in my hands.

The next few minutes are the longest of my life. I never knew a few short minutes could make someone so anxious and upset.

As soon as the cab pulls up in front of Collin's flat, I burst out and bolt to the front door. I spot Phil sitting in front of the door, his arms wrapped around his legs and his face pressed against his knees.

"Phil‽" I yelp, causing his head to snap up. "Phil, oh god, are you okay‽"

He nods, slowly, as I kneel beside him.

"What's wrong?" I ask.

I place a hand on Phil's shoulder, my breath catching when he whimpers and flinches away.

"Phil," I murmur. "Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," he turns away, sniffling the slightest bit.

"What happened when Collin hung up on me?" I question, quietly.

"N-Nothing," stutters Phil.

"Phil..." I plead.

He takes a deep, shaky breath before turning to face me again. He lifts his face so the dim light finally sits on his face.

"Oh god..." I breath.

His upper lip is swollen and cut, his right cheek in bright red and his left eye is bruised and slightly swollen. I lift my hand, lowering it again when Phil shuffles away the slightest bit.

"He did this to you, didn't he?" I snarl.

"Dan..." he whimpers.

"Don't you dare say he didn't!" I shout, jumping to my feet. "I know he did and I know he's been hurting you!"

"Dan, stop, please," he begs.

My eyes soften as I notice his cowering form.

"Please stop yelling," he pleads.

"Okay," I murmur, taking a deep breath as I try and calm down. "Okay. C'mon, let's go back to our-erm, my-flat."

Phil sadly looks back down at his feet.

"I have to wait here," he mutters.

"Why?" I frown, cocking my head in confusion.

"Collin won't be very happy if he comes to get me and I'm not here," he sniffles.

"He also won't be able to hurt you," I inform. "Now c'mon."

I reach my hand out, which he stares at uncertainly for a moment. Then he cautiously grabs my hand and allows me to pull him to his feet. I wrap my arm protectively around his waist, a small smile flickering over my face when he cuddles closer to me.

We step into the cab and Phil places his head on my chest as I place my head on top of his head, running my arm in what I hope is a soothing manner. I give the driver my address before letting my eyes flicker closed.

"Thank you."

I crack my eyes open, finding Phil staring up at me.

"Of course," I smile, wrapping my arms tightly around his figure.


	2. Chapter 2

We spend the rest of the drive in comfortable silence. I stare out the window, enjoying having Phil with me again. I know Phil's still technically Collin's boyfriend and most of his stuff is at the other boy's house. And I know I'll have to deal with Collin and his stupid brunette buzzcut at some point. But for now I'm just happy that Phil's safe.

We pull up in front of the flat and I hurriedly pay the cab driver before stumbling back into the house.

"Alright, let's get you cleaned up," I say quietly.

I direct Phil into the bathroom, sitting him down on the edge of the bathtub before grabbing a washcloth. I run the washcloth under the tap water for a moment. I sit down next to my raven haired friend, carefully dabbing the washcloth against his swollen lip.

He flinches away, causing guilt to swirl around in my stomach.

"Philly, you have to let me clean your cuts," I murmur as I brush some of his hair out of his eyes.

He nods, his eyes trained on the floor. I quietly continue to dab the washcloth against Phil's lip, causing his eyes to flutter closed.

"Do you know what to do about the bruises?" I ask, frowning slightly.

Phil shakes his head. I sigh, pulling the washcloth away.

"Okay, you just rest for a little bit," I say, softly. "I have some clothes you can borrow if you like."

Phil nods, mumbling a thank you. I just smile at him and wander into my room, digging around in my drawers until I find a pair of comfortable looking sweatpants and an old T-Shirt.

"Are these alright?" I ask, handing Phil the clothes.

Phil nods as he takes the clothes from me.

"Thank you," he repeats, quietly.

"Of course," I murmur, pulling him in for a hug. "Now, go get changed and head to bed. I'll be in here if you need anything."

Phil nods and trots off towards his (or what used to be his) bedroom. But it's hardly even been five minutes before I head a quiet knock from my bedroom door.

"Yeah?" I call out, glancing up from my laptop.

"Dan?" Phil pokes his head through the door. "C-Can I...is it alright if...Dan can I sleep h-here with you tonight?"

I stare up at him, startled, for a minute before nodding.

"Of course," I smile.

A relieved smile flickers over his face and he scurries into the room. I move over a little, so Phil has enough room to lie down. I expect him to just collapse on the bed and head to sleep, but instead he cuddles up next to me with his head resting on my chest and his arm draped over my stomach.

He glances sheepishly up at my through his eyelashes. "Is this alright?"

"Mmhmm," I reply with a nod and I start to run my fingers through his hair.

He smiles and snuggles closer to me, causing a blush to appear on my cheeks. I sigh happily and place my laptop on the floor before wrapping my other arm around Phil, hugging him close to me.

"Thank you," he murmurs for the thousandth time that night. "I'm so glad I met you. You mean the world to me. You're the most amazing best friend I could ever ask for."

"Phil," I chuckle. " _I'm_ not your boyfriend, remember?"

Phil glances down and it almost looks like there's sadness in his eyes.

"I know," he mutters with a sigh. "I wish I didn't move out. Maybe then this wouldn't have happened."

"Hey," I say, softly. "Don't you think for one second that this is your fault."

"But-"

"No buts!" I exclaim, and I'm happy to notice that he giggles quietly. "None of this is your fault, alright?"

"Alright," he nods.

"Good. Now get some rest, Philly. You need it."

"Okay. Good night, Dan."

"Night, Phil."

The first thing I notice when I wake up is that Phil isn't next to me. I immediately jump out of bed (Despite it being way too early and way too cold) and stumble down the hallway. I soon find Phil sitting on the living room couch, a bowl of cereal clutched in his hands and his eyes fixed on the telly.

"Morning," he smiles up at me, forcing a smile of my own to appear.

"Good morning," I respond, chuckling.

I wander into the kitchen, making my own cereal before joining Phil on the couch.

"Are you wearing my sweatshirt?" I suddenly question, a smirk playing on my lips when I spot the familiar sweatshirt Phil's wearing.

"Oh-erm-s-sorry," stuttered Phil as he moves to take off the sweatshirt. "I-I got cold. Bu-But I can take it off!"

"No, no!" I exclaim. "It's fine. You look cute in it."

Phil's cheeks heat up and he sends me a relieved smile.

"Is your face feeling better?" I ask.

"A bit," murmurs Phil

"Well the swelling seems to have gone down," I mutter. "So now your just a little bruised."

I bite down on my lower lip as I move closer to Phil, my hand reaching out to carefully brush my fingers over his cheek.

"How could anyone hurt you?" I mumble.

"He doesn't mean it," Phil sighs. "He was just a little drunk-"

"A _little_ drunk‽" I shout, jumping to my feet. "Dammit Phil, have you seen you're face‽"

"Dan," squeaks Phil as he cowers into the couch cushions.

"And you've been flinching away from me, as if you're worried I'm gonna hit you! So this obviously isn't a one time thing!" I continue.

"Dan. Please stop," begs Phil.

"He's been abusing you for months! And I've known! I mean, I wasn't positive, but I could see the bruises and I knew what was going on! And what did I do‽ _Nothing_! _Dammit_! I'm a horrible friend who didn't do anything about you being hurt! I can't believe I didn't do anything! Oh god. Oh god. I'm such a horrible friend. How did I let this happen‽"

Suddenly I collapse on the couch, burying my face in my hands as tears start to leak out of my eyes.

"Oh god," I sniff. "I'm so horrible."

"Dan?" murmurs Phil and I can hear him shuffle closer to me. "Dan, what's wrong?"

I peer at him through my fingers, his wide eyes staring cautiously at me.

"I can't believe I let this happen to you," I murmur before pulling him in for a hug. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry."

"Danny, it's okay," breaths Phil. "It's not your fault."

I tightened my grip around him, burying my face in the crook of his neck.

"I just hate seeing you hurt," I mumble. "I love you."

Without thinking, I place a quick kiss on his lips.

"Shit," I breath.

I jump to my feet and start to hurry towards my room, but I'm stopped by Phil grabbing my wrist.

"Dan..." he trails off, obviously unsure what to say.

"I-I'm sorry," I whimper, squeezing my eyes shut as a couple fresh tears slip down my cheeks.

"It's okay," he murmurs, pulling me back into a hug. "I love you too."

"Phil, you have a boyfriend," I remind him as I pull away from the hug and collapse next to him on the sofa.

"I know," he whispers, his eyes glued on the floor. "But...you've treated me better in a night than he has in all the time we've been together."

"Phil, I've known you longer than a night," I say with a roll of the eyes.

"Shush. I'm trying to make a point," Phil scolds, making me chuckle. "Anyways, the point is that I think I love you more than I love him."

"Then why are you going out with him?" I question.

"Well, I didn't think you actually liked me. For one you've made a pretty big deal over the fact that you _'don't have a crush on me_ '," Phil points out.

I can feel my cheeks heating up. "Yeah, sorry...I just never thought it would be possible for you to feel the same way."

Phil chuckles, ruffling his ebony hair.

"Too bad it's too late for us to do anything about our feeling," he says, his smile suddenly dropping.

"It's not too late," I mutter as I place my head carefully on his shoulder.

"I have Collin now," he reminds me.

"Oh right," I roll my eyes. "Your boyfriend who loves you so much he beats the shit out of you."

Phil flinches and avoids eye contact, making guilt bloom in my stomach. I sigh and carefully grab his hand, lacing our fingers together.

"I won't let anything hurt you," I promise.

"I-I just-I don't..." Phil trails off awkwardly. He pulls his legs up to his chest, resting his chin upon his knees. "This is all so sudden and I don't know what to think."

"That's okay," I mutter, brushing his fringe carefully out of his eyes. "I just want what's best for you. I care about you more than I care about anyone else."

I grin as I spot the blush crawling across Phil's cheeks.

"Aww, am I making you blush?" I smirk, poking his cheek teasingly.

"Stop," he giggles, swatting my hand away.

"Don't worry, it's cute," I smile.

Phil returns the gesture, giving my hand a quick squeeze.

"I think I'm gonna head to my room and think this through for a little bit," he murmurs.

I nod. "Alright. I'll be out here if you need anything."

Phil wraps his arms around me in a quick hug before scurrying towards his room, his cheeks still flushed slightly. I giggle to myself quietly, still hardly believing that I have Phil back (for now at least). And I certainly can't believe that he loves me back.

But he still may not be mine.

The thought makes my smile drop.

He could choose Collin over me. The thought makes me sick. I would feel a little better about Phil being with someone else if he was at least treated right. But instead he's stuck with that monster.

I wring my hands together in worry. I know he's questioning whether he should break up with Collin or not right now. And I'm slightly worried he'll choose to stay with Collin. What would I do? I don't think I would be able to stand it.

I sigh, running my hands through my currently unstraightened hair. If Phil chooses to stay with Collin, I'll just have to convince him to break up with him. I don't know how I'll do, or if I even can. But damn am I going to try.

I'm snapped out of my thoughts by a sudden knocking at the front door. I stumble to my feet, hurrying towards the door as I desperately attempt to fix my hair.

"Hello-Collin?" I stare at him with wide, shocked eyes. "Wh-What are you doing here?"

"Phil left last night and I can't find him anywhere," Collin explains. "I tried calling him, but it turns out he left his phone at the flat. So I just came over to see if he was here."

"Nope," I immediately lie. "Not here."

"Oh," frowns Collin. "Well, do you know where he is?"

I shake my head. "No, sorry."

"Well, thanks anyways," says Collin. "If you find out where he is can you give me a call?"

I nod. "Yeah, definitely. Erm-Sorry I couldn't be more help. Bye!"

Collin turns to leave as I close the door. And Phil chooses this wonderful moment to call out to me.

"Dan? Do you wanna watch Big Hero 6?"

My eyes flutter closed, my lips pressed together in a straight line.

"Y-Yeah. That's fine," I reply.

I open my eyes to find Collin staring at me with his arms crossed over his chest.

"You said he wasn't here," he sneers.

I don't reply. Instead I just stand there, glaring at him.

"Dan?" cries Phil and my heart drops when I hear him hurrying towards the door. "Is there someone at the door?"

His footsteps suddenly stop and I turn to see him standing a few feet behind me.

"C-Collin," he squeaks. "Wh-What are you doing here?"

"I came see if you were here," admits Collin. "I got worried when you weren't at the flat this morning."

Phil cautiously walks forward, squeezing past me (as I'm standing directly in the middle of the doorway) so he can stand in front of his boyfriend.

"Oh god," breaths Collin, his hand reaching out towards Phil's face. "Did I do this to you?" His palm rests on Phil's cheek, not moving when Phil flinches.

However, I immediately react even if Collin doesn't. I grab Phil's arm, pulling him back a couple steps so he's pressed safely against my chest.

"I-I'm so sorry," apologizes Collin. "Philly, you know I don't mean it."

"Then why did you hit him in the first place‽" I snarl, wrapping my arms protectively around my friend.

"I was drunk," Collin attempts to defend himself.

"That's no excuse!"

"Alright, why don't you let Phil speak‽" snarls Collin.

I glance down at Phil, who has his eyes fixed on his sneakers.

"Collin," he murmurs. "I love you..."

I trap my lower lip between my teeth as I feel my heart drop.

"But I don't think I can do this," he continues, making my eyes widen. "This isn't the first time you've hit me a-and I don't want to deal with it anymore."

"A-Are you breaking up with me?" Collin asks, his voice dangerously low.

Phil nods, pressing himself against me in an attempt to hide from Collin. Collin's fists are clenched at his sides and he's clearly grinding his teeth together angrily. Collin opens his mouth to say something-most likely something loud and insulting-but I cut him off by slamming the door closed. I ignore the angry yell that sounds from the other side of the door and wrap my arm around Phil's shoulders, directing him back towards the living room.

"You stood up to him," I grin, proudly.

"I realized there's someone I love more," he smiles. "And he loves me more."

I cup Phil's face in my hands, leaning forward so our noses bump together.

"Can I kiss you?" I murmur.

Phil nods. "I-If you want."

I firmly press my lips to his, fireworks exploding in my stomach. He slowly wraps his arms around my waist, his lips moving slowly against my own.

"Phil," I breath as I pull away. "I love you so, so much."

Phil giggles. "I love you more."

"I'm not sure about that," I smirk, pecking his lips.

"Now c'mon!" grins Phil, lacing our fingers together as he collapses on the couch. "Let's waste our lives watching television!"


End file.
